System and method for fabrication of bulk nanocrystal alloy

ABSTRACT

A system and a method for fabrication of bulk nanocrystal alloys is provided. The method may include subjecting powders of at least one material to an ultrasonic vibration at a first amplitude. The method may also include heating the powders in response to the ultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate corresponding to the first amplitude, and treating the powders in a temperature range corresponding to the first temperature elevating rate. The method may further include obtaining a bulk material composed of a plurality of crystal grains, the plurality of crystal grains having an average linear dimension equal to or larger than 10 nm. The method may further include obtaining a bulk material with amorphous structure with sufficient temperature cooling rate.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of International Application No.PCT/CN2017/079890, filed on Apr. 10, 2017, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference to their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to material processing and moreparticularly, process nanocrystal alloy based on an ultrasonicvibration.

BACKGROUND

Powder materials sintering may be used to obtain a plurality of uniquephysical and mechanical properties, such as porosity controllable,homogenous, no macro-segregation, etc. The spark plasma sintering (SPS)may be used to process powder materials for obtaining a bulk material.However, the equipment for using the SPS technology may be expensive.Further, the sintering temperature may usually be required to be 0.8times of the melting point of a material, and a large pressure may alsobe required to be imposed for sintering. Therefore, using the SPStechnology to sinter powder materials may consume high energy and resultin low economic effect. Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide amethod and a system to effectively process a powder material.

SUMMARY

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter,systems and methods for processing a powder material are provided.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, amethod for fabricating nanocrystal alloy is provided. The method mayinclude: subjecting powders of at least one material to an ultrasonicvibration at a first amplitude; heating the powders in response to theultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate correspondingto the first amplitude; treating the powders in a temperature rangecorresponding to the first temperature elevating rate, the temperaturerange including a first temperature configured to be above acharacteristic temperature of the at least one material; and obtaining abulk material composed of a plurality of crystal grains, the pluralityof crystal grains having an average linear dimension equal to or largerthan 10 nm.

In some embodiments, the powders may be amorphous.

In some embodiments, the powders of at least one material may include atleast one of polymer powders, metal powders, alloy powders, or ceramicpowders.

In some embodiments, the characteristic temperature may include acrystallization temperature of the at least one material.

In some embodiments, the average linear dimension of the crystal grainsmay be determined based on the first temperature elevating rate and thefirst temperature.

In some embodiments, the average linear dimension of the plurality ofcrystal grains may be further determined based on a time duration of thetreatment of the powders in the temperature range, a stress imposed onthe powders, or a linear dimension of a powder particle corresponding toeach of the plurality of crystal grains.

In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration may be in a frequencyrange from 10 kHz to 100 kHz.

In some embodiments, the method may further include providing thepowders in a mold. In some embodiments, a shape of the bulk material maybe determined by a shape of the mold.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, amethod for processing amorphous alloy is provided. The method mayinclude: subjecting powders of at least on material to an ultrasonicvibration at a first amplitude; heating the powders in response to theultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate correspondingto the first amplitude; treating the powders in a temperature rangecorresponding to the first temperature elevating rate, the temperaturerange including a first temperature configured to be between a firstcharacteristic temperature of the at least one material and a secondcharacteristic temperature of the at least one material; and obtaining abulk material in an amorphous state at a first temperature cooling rate.

In some embodiments, the powders may be amorphous.

In some embodiments, the powders of at least one material may include atleast one of polymer powders, metal powders, alloy powders, or ceramicpowders.

In some embodiments, the first characteristic temperature may include aglass transition temperature of the at least one material.

In some embodiments, the second characteristic temperature may include acrystallization temperature of the at least one material.

In some embodiments, the second characteristic temperature may include amelting temperature of the at least one material.

In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration may be in a frequencyrange from 10 kHz to 100 kHz.

In some embodiments, the method may further include providing thepowders in a mold. In some embodiments, a shape of the bulk material maybe determined by a shape of the mold.

In some embodiments, the amorphous state of the bulk material may befurther determined based on a time duration of the treatment of thepowders in the temperature range, a stress imposed on the powders, or alinear dimension of a powder particle.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, asystem for processing amorphous alloy is provided. The system mayinclude an ultrasonic generator configured to generate an electricsignal and a transducer configured to generate an ultrasonic vibrationat a first amplitude based on the electric signal. The system mayfurther include an indenter configured to heat powders of at least onematerial in response to the ultrasonic vibration at a first temperatureelevating rate corresponding to the first amplitude, and treat thepowders in a temperature range corresponding to the first temperatureelevating rate. In some embodiments, the temperature range may include afirst temperature configured to be above a first characteristictemperature of the at least one material.

Additional features will be set forth in part in the description whichfollows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the artupon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or maybe learned by production or operation of the examples. The features ofthe present disclosure may be realized and attained by practice or useof various aspects of the methodologies, instrumentalities andcombinations set forth in the detailed examples discussed below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is further described in terms of exemplaryembodiments. These exemplary embodiments are described in detail withreference to the drawings. These embodiments are non-limiting examples,in which like reference numerals represent similar structures throughoutthe several views of the drawings, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary ultrasonic sinteringsystem according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary ultrasonic apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view for illustrating a portion of an exemplaryultrasonic sintering system according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view for illustrating a portion of an exemplaryultrasonic sintering system according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary process for sintering powders of atleast one material according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process for sintering powders of atleast one material according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 7 is an exemplary temperature curve diagram during a process ofsintering powders according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8A is a transmission electron microscope (TEM) photograph of a bulkmaterial according to some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a dimension distribution of crystal grainsin the bulk material as illustrated in FIG. 8A according to someembodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth by way of examples in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe relevant disclosure. However, it should be apparent to those skilledin the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without suchdetails. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, systems,components, and/or circuitry have been described at a relativelyhigh-level, without detail, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuringaspects of the present disclosure. Various modifications to thedisclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in theart, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to otherembodiments and applications without departing from the spirits andscope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is notlimited to the embodiments shown, but to be accorded the widest scopeconsistent with the claims.

It will be understood that the term “system,” “unit,” “module,” and/or“block” used herein are one method to distinguish different components,elements, parts, section or assembly of different level in ascendingorder. However, the terms may be displaced by other expression if theymay achieve the same purpose.

It will be understood that when a unit, module or block is referred toas being “on,” “connected to” or “coupled to” another unit, module, orblock, it may be directly on, connected or coupled to the other unit,module, or block, or intervening unit, module, or block may be present,unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

The terminology used herein is for the purposes of describing particularexamples and embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting. Asused herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “include,”and/or “comprise,” when used in this disclosure, specify the presence ofintegers, devices, behaviors, stated features, steps, elements,operations, and/or components, but do not exclude the presence oraddition of one or more other integers, devices, behaviors, features,steps, elements, operations, components, and/or groups thereof.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary ultrasonicprocessing system according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. As shown, an ultrasonic processing system 100 may include anultrasonic apparatus 102, a power supply 104, a controller 106, anoperator console 108, and a storage device 110. The ultrasonicprocessing system 100 may be implemented in different fields, such asmaterial surface modification, material welding, material sintering, orthe like, or a combination thereof. For example, the ultrasonicprocessing system 100 may be used in surface crystallization, surfacecoating, etc. As another example, the ultrasonic processing system 100may be used in metal welding, plastic welding, ceramic welding, etc. Asa further example, the ultrasonic processing system 100 may be used inmetal powder sintering, polymer powder sintering, etc.

The ultrasonic apparatus 102 may generate an ultrasonic vibration. Insome embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration may be used to process asample. The ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic apparatus102 may correspond to various parameters, such as a frequency, anamplitude, a power density, etc. In some embodiments, the frequency ofthe ultrasonic vibration generated by the ultrasonic apparatus 102 mayrange from 10 kHz to 100 kHz. For example, the frequency of theultrasonic vibration may include at least one of 20 kHz, 25 kHz, 28 kHz,30 kHz, 33 kHz, 35 kHz, 40 kHz, 70 kHz, etc. In some embodiments, theultrasonic vibration may have a frequency greater than 100 kHz, such as110 kHz, 120 kHz, etc. In some embodiments, the amplitude of theultrasonic vibration may be in an amplitude range from 5 μm to 100 μm.For example, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be in anamplitude range from 20 μm to 80 μm. As another example, the amplitudeof the ultrasonic vibration may be in an amplitude range from 20 μm to60 μm. As a further example, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibrationmay be 45 μm. In some embodiments, the amplitude of the ultrasonicvibration may be greater than 100 μm. A sample to be sintered may be atleast one of a metal material, a polymer material, an inorganicnon-metallic material, a composite material, or the like, or acombination thereof. The metal material may include a pure metal, analloy, an intermetallic compound, etc. The alloy material may includeFe-based crystalline alloy, Ti-based crystalline alloy, Ni-basedcrystalline alloy, Zn-based crystalline alloy, Zr-based crystallinealloy, etc. The pure metal material may include Ag, Fe, Al, Cu, Ti, Zn,Sn, Ni, etc. The inorganic non-metallic material may include an acidsalt, an aluminate, a borate, a phosphate, an oxide, a nitride, acarbide, a boride, a silicide, a sulfide, a halide, etc. The polymermaterial may include molecular chains arranged in a high regularitydegree, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyamide (PA),polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS),polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), etc. The composite material may includea polymer-based composite material, a metal-based composite material, aceramic-based composite material, etc.

In some embodiments, the sample may include a powder material, a bulkmaterial, or the like, or a combination thereof. For example, the samplemay be alloy powders including a plurality of powder particles. In someembodiments, the powder particles may have a linear dimension rangingfrom 1 μm to 100 μm. As used herein, the linear dimension may refer tothe size of an object (e.g., a particle) in one direction. For example,if the object is in the shape of a sphere, the linear dimension of theobject may be the diameter of the sphere. In some embodiments, thelinear dimension of the powder particle may be greater than 100 μm. Insome embodiments, the sample may be in an amorphous state, a crystallinestate, etc. In some embodiments, the sample may be in a liquid state, asolid state, a glass state, etc.

The ultrasonic apparatus 102 may transform a material from one phase toanother phase. The transformation may be achieved by heating thematerial in response to the ultrasonic vibration applied on thematerial. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic apparatus 102 maytransform a material from powders to a bulk by applying the ultrasonicvibration on the powders. The bulk of the material may be amorphous,crystalline, or a combination thereof. For example, the bulk materialmay include a plurality of nanocrystal grains having an average lineardimension of 10 nm, or greater. In some embodiments, the ultrasonicapparatus 102 may transform a bulk material or at least some portionsthereof (e.g., a surface layer of the bulk of the material) from anamorphous state to a crystalline state.

In some embodiments, the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may be connected toand/or communicate with the power supply 104, the controller 106, theoperator console 108, and/or the storage device 110 via a wirelessconnection, a wired connection, or a combination thereof. For example,the power supply 104 may provide electric power for the ultrasonicapparatus 102 to generate an ultrasonic vibration via a wiredconnection, such as a metal cable. As another example, the ultrasonicapparatus 102 may be controlled by the controller 106 to generate anultrasonic vibration. As a further example, the ultrasonic apparatus 102may be operated by a user or an operator via the operator console 108.For example, the operator may set one or more parameters of theultrasonic vibration (e.g., a frequency or an amplitude) via theoperator console 108. The parameters may be set based on an input of theoperator by, for example, a keyboard or a mouse.

The power supply 104 may provide electric power for the ultrasonicapparatus 102, the controller 106, the operator console 108, and/or thestorage device 110. In some embodiments, the power supply 104 mayinclude a power input that receives power from a power source and apower output that delivers the power to a device (e.g., the ultrasonicapparatus 102). In some embodiment, the power supply 104 may include analternating current (AC) power supply, a direct current (DC) powersupply, an AC-to-DC power supply, a switched-mode power supply, aprogrammable power supply, an uninterruptible power supply, a highvoltage power supply, etc. In some embodiments, the power supply 104 mayinclude one or more charging apparatuses. The power supply 104 mayinclude one or more other internal components, e.g., a converter, acharge/discharge interface, or the like, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the power supply 104 may be regulated orunregulated. The regulated power supply may maintain a constant outputvoltage or current despite the variations in the load current or inputvoltage. The voltage or current output by the unregulated power supplymay change when its input voltage or load current changes. In someembodiments, the power supply 104 may be configured to be flexible toallow the output voltage or current to be controlled by mechanicalcontrols (e.g., knobs on the power supply front panel), by means of aninput by a user via the operator console 108, or a combination thereof.In some embodiments, one or more parameters of an ultrasonic vibrationgenerated by the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may be determined based on thepower supply 104. For example, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibrationmay be determined based on an output voltage or current of the powersupply 104.

In some embodiments, the power supply 104 may include an external powersource, e.g., a power network with a household power outlet socket or anindustrial power outlet socket, or the like, or a combination thereof.In some embodiments, the power supply 104 may include an alternator forgenerating power. The power supply 104 may include a battery, e.g., alithium battery, a lead acid storage battery, a nickel-cadmium battery,a nickel metal hydride battery, or the like, or a combination thereof.

The controller 106 may control the ultrasonic apparatus 102, the powersupply 104, the operator console 108, and/or the storage device 110. Forexample, the ultrasonic apparatus 102 may be controlled by thecontroller 106 to process (e.g., vibrate) a sample (e.g., powders of amaterial). The controller 106 may control the generation of anultrasonic vibration at, for example, a specific frequency or amplitude.In some embodiments, the controller 106 may control the storage device110 to acquire and/or store operation data from the ultrasonic apparatus102, the power supply 104, and/or the operator console 108. Theprocessing data may include one or more processing parameters (e.g., theparameters related to the ultrasonic vibration), the data detectedduring a sintering process (e.g., a treatment temperature, a temperaturechange curve of the sample, the phase change of the sample). As usedherein, the treatment temperature may denote a temperature forprocessing a sample (e.g., transforming the sample from one phase toanother phase) in response to an ultrasonic vibration. The controller106 may control the operator console 108 to display the operation data.

In some embodiments, the controller 106 may include a processor, aprocessing core, a memory, or the like, or a combination thereof. Forexample, the controller 106 may include a central processing unit (CPU),an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), anapplication-specific instruction-set processor (ASIP), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), a physics processing unit (PPU), a digital signalprocessor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmablelogic device (PLD), a microcontroller unit, a microprocessor, anadvanced RISC machines processor (ARM), or the like, or a combinationsthereof.

The operator console 108 may include a user interface. In someembodiments, the operator console 108 may include an input device or acontrol panel, etc. For example, the input device may be a keyboard, atouch screen, a mouse, a remote controller, or the like, or acombination thereof. In some embodiments, the user may input informationand/or manipulate the operator console 108 via a plurality of userdevices including a smart input device. For example, the smart inputdevice may include a speech input, an eye tracking input, a brainmonitoring system, or any other comparable input mechanism. Other typesof the input device may include a cursor control device, such as amouse, a trackball, or cursor direction keys, etc. In some embodiments,the operator console 108 may send a command or an instruction by a useror an operator to the ultrasonic apparatus 102, and/or the controller106. In some embodiments, the operator console 108 may be operated by auser to set various parameters for the ultrasonic processing system 100.For example, a user may input an ultrasonic parameter (e.g., a frequencyand an amplitude) by the operator console 108. As another example, auser may set a time duration of the treatment of an ultrasonic vibrationgenerated by the ultrasonic apparatus 102 via the operator console 108.In some embodiments, the operator console 108 may display informationassociated with a relationship (e.g., in a form of a curve) of a timeand a treatment temperature of a sample during a fabrication process.

The storage device 110 may store data related to the ultrasonicprocessing system 100. The data stored may be a processing parameter,information of a sample or a treated sample, an instruction and/or asignal to operate the ultrasonic apparatus 102, a model related to afabrication process, or the like, or a combination thereof. In someembodiments, the processing parameter may include one or more parametersrelated to a fabrication process, such as a temperature parameter, atime parameter, a stress parameter, an ultrasonic parameter, a powersupply parameter, etc. The temperature parameter may include acharacteristic temperature of a sample (e.g., a glass transitiontemperature, a crystallization temperature, a melting temperature,etc.), a temperature elevating rate, a temperature cooling rate, etc.The time parameter may include a time duration of the treatment of asample in a temperature range (e.g., a time duration of the treatment ofa sample in a range from a glass transition temperature to acrystallization temperature), a time duration for temperature elevatingor cooling, a time duration for subjecting a sample to an ultrasonicvibration, etc. The stress parameter may include the stress applied on asample by the ultrasonic apparatus 102, or by any other apparatus (e.g.,a container for placing a sample), an atmosphere pressure, or anycombination thereof. In some embodiments, the stress applied on thesample may be in a range from 1N to 1000N. In some embodiments, thestress applied on the sample may be greater than 1000N. The ultrasonicparameter may include a frequency of the ultrasonic, an amplitude of theultrasonic, etc. The power supply parameter may include an input/outputvoltage, an input/output current, a characteristic power (e.g., amaximum power, a rated power, etc.), etc. The information of a sample ora treated sample may include a dimension (e.g., a size of powder or asize of a crystal grain in the treated sample), a mechanical property(e.g., a tensile strength, a hardness, a fatigue strength, etc.), etc.The model related to a process may determine a relationship betweendifferent processing parameters, a property of a sample, a property of atreated sample, etc. For example, the model may include a relationshipbetween a time duration of the treatment of a sample in a temperaturerange and the average linear dimension of crystal grains in a treatedsample.

The storage device 110 may include a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), or the like, or a combination thereof. Therandom access memory (RAM) may include a dekatron, a dynamic randomaccess memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a thyristorrandom access memory (T-RAM), a zero capacitor random access memory(Z-RAM), or the like, or a combination thereof. The read only memory(ROM) may include a bubble memory, a magnetic button line memory, amemory thin film, a magnetic plate line memory, a core memory, amagnetic drum memory, a CD-ROM drive, a hard disk, a flash memory, orthe like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the storagedevice 110 may be a removable storage such as a U flash disk that mayread data from and/or write data to the operator console 108 in acertain manner. The storage device 110 may also include other similarmeans for providing computer programs or other instructions to operatethe devices/modules in the ultrasonic processing system 100. In someembodiments, the storage device 110 may be operationally connected withone or more virtual storage resources (e.g., a cloud storage, a virtualprivate network, other virtual storage resources, etc.) for transmittingor storing the data into the virtual storage resources.

The ultrasonic processing system 100 may be connected to a network (notshown in the figure). The network may be a local area network (LAN), awide area network (WAN), a public network, private network, aproprietary network, a public switched telephone network (PSTN), theInternet, a virtual network, a metropolitan area network, a telephonenetwork, or the like, or a combination thereof. The connection betweendifferent devices/modules in the ultrasonic processing system 100 may bewired or wireless. The wired connection may include using a metal cable,an optical cable, a hybrid cable, an interface, or the like, or acombination thereof. The wireless connection may include using aWireless Local Area Network (WLAN), a Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN),a Bluetooth, a ZigBee, a Near Field Communication (NFC), or the like, ora combination thereof.

This description of the ultrasonic processing system 100 is intended tobe illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure.Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent tothose skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and othercharacteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may becombined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternativeexemplary embodiments. In some embodiments, the storage device 110 maybe a database including cloud computing platforms, such as, a publiccloud, a private cloud, a community and hybrid cloud, etc. In someembodiments, the operator console 108 and the controller 106 may beintegrated into one device/module. In some embodiments, the controller106 and the storage device 110 may be integrated into one device/module.In some embodiments, the power supply 104 may be integrated with theultrasonic apparatus 102. However, those variations and modifications donot depart the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an exemplary ultrasonic apparatusaccording to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, anultrasonic apparatus 200 may include an ultrasonic generator 201, atransducer 202, an indenter 203, a sensor 204, an amplitude modulationdevice 205, and a container 206. In some embodiments, the differentmodules in the ultrasonic apparatus 200 may be connected with each othervia a wired connection, a wireless connection, or a combination thereof.

The ultrasonic generator 201 may generate an electric signal based on anelectric power. In some embodiments, the electric power may be providedby the power supply 104. In some embodiments, the electric power may begenerated by the ultrasonic generator 201. The electric power mayinclude an alternating current, a direct current, or a combinationthereof. In some embodiments, the electric signal may include asinusoidal signal, a pulse signal, etc. In some embodiments, thefrequency of the electric signal generated by the ultrasonic generator201 may be in a range from 10 kHz to 100 kHz. For example, the frequencyof the electric signal may include at least one of 20 kHz, 25 kHz, 28kHz, 30 kHz, 33 kHz, 35 kHz, 40 kHz, 70 kHz, etc. In some embodiments,the electric signal may have a frequency greater than 100 kHz, such as110 kHz, 120 kHz, etc. In some embodiments, a frequency of thetransducer 202 may be determined based on the electric signal generatedby the ultrasonic generator 201. For example, the frequency of thetransducer 202 may be same with the frequency of the electric signal.

The transducer 202 may convert an electric signal generated by theultrasonic generator 201 into an ultrasonic vibration. In someembodiments, the ultrasonic vibration generated by the transducer 202may be a fixed frequency in a range from 10 kHz to 100 kHz. For example,the fixed frequency may be 20 kHz, 25 kHz, 28 kHz, 33 kHz, 40 kHz, 60kHz, 80 kHz, 100 kHz, etc. In some embodiments, the fixed frequency maybe greater than 100 kHz. In some embodiments, the frequency of theultrasonic vibration may be adjustable. For example, the adjustablefrequency may be determined based on the power provided by the powersupply 104 (e.g., an output voltage of the power supply 104) or aninstruction of the controller 106. As another example, the adjustablefrequency may be determined by the ultrasonic generator 201. Forexample, the ultrasonic generator 201 may include a frequency modulation(FM) device (e.g., an FM serial resonance device) for adjusting thefrequency. In some embodiments, the ultrasonic vibration generated bythe transducer 202 may have an amplitude in a amplitude range from 1 μmto 80 μm. Specifically, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be48 μm. In some embodiments, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibrationgenerated by the transducer 202 may be adjustable via the amplitudemodulation device 205.

The indenter 203 may subject a sample to an ultrasonic vibrationgenerated by the transducer 202. The sample may include at least onematerial as described in connection with FIG. 1. The indenter 203 mayapply an ultrasonic vibration generated by the transducer 202 on thesample via a wired connection, such as a metal cable. In someembodiments, the ultrasonic vibration of the indenter 203 on the samplemay be modulated by the amplitude modulation device 205. For example,the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be decreased or increasedby the amplitude modulation device 205.

In some embodiments, the indenter 203 may vibrate in one direction(e.g., a direction z₁ illustrated in FIG. 3). In some embodiments, theindenter 203 may vibrate in different directions. In some embodiments,the indenter 203 may apply a stress on the sample. In some embodiments,the stress may be in a range from 1N to 1000N. In some embodiments, thestress may be greater than 1000N. In some embodiments, the stress may beacquired via a hydraulic device or an air cylinder that provides extrapressure on the indenter 203. Merely by way of example, the pressureapplied on the indenter 203 via a hydraulic device may be in a rangefrom 1 kgf/cm² to 10 kgf/cm².

The sensor 204 may detect signals generated during a fabricationprocess. The signals generated during a fabrication process may includea processing parameter as described elsewhere in the disclosure. Thesensor may include a thermal sensor (e.g., a thermocouple probe), a gassensor, a humidity sensor, a piezoresistive sensor, a speed sensor, amechanical sensor, etc.

In some embodiments, the sensor 204 may be connected to the ultrasonicgenerator 201, the transducer 202, the indenter 203, the amplitudemodulation device 205, and/or the container 206. For example, the sensor204 may include a mechanical sensor (e.g., a pressure sensor). Thepressure sensor may be connected to the indenter 203 to detect a stressapplied on a sample. As another example, the sensor 204 may include aplacement sensor. The placement sensor may be connected to the indenter203 to detect an amplitude of an ultrasonic vibration. As anotherexample, the sensor 204 may include a temperature sensor. Thetemperature sensor may be connected to the container 206 to detect thetemperature change of a sample during a fabrication process. In someembodiments, the signals detected by the sensor 204 may be transmittedto the controller 106, the operator console 108, and/or the storagedevice 110 during or after a fabrication process of a sample. Thesignals may include a treatment temperature of the sample. In someembodiments, the controller 106 may control the sensor 204 to detect thesignals during a fabrication process of the sample based on an input ofa user or an operator via the operator console 108.

The amplitude modulation device 205 may adjust an amplitude of anultrasonic vibration generated by the transducer 202. In someembodiments, the amplitude modulation device 205 may decrease orincrease the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration transducer 202 basedon an amplitude modulation circuit. The modulation of the amplitude maybe determined by the temperature parameters of a sample. For example,the higher the crystallization temperature of the sample is, the greaterthe amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be. The amplitudemodulation circuit may include a high-level amplitude modulationcircuit, a low-level amplitude modulation circuit, etc. The high-levelamplitude modulation circuit may include an emitter amplitudemodulation, a collector amplitude modulation, a base amplitudemodulation, etc. The low-level amplitude modulation circuit may includea plate modulation, a heisting modulation, a control grid modulation, aclamp tube modulation, a Doherty modulation, an out phasing modulation,a pulse width modulation (PWM), a pulse duration modulation (PDM), etc.

The container 206 may be configured to place a sample. The container 206may be in different shapes. In some embodiments, the shape of a treatedsample (e.g., a bulk material) obtained by processing a sample (e.g.,metal powders) may be determined by the shape of the container 206. Insome embodiments, the container 206 may include a mold, and the shape ofa treated sample may be determined by the shape of the mold. The shapeof the treated sample may be a cube, a sphere, a coin, a cylinder, orany other shape. In some embodiments, the mold may include a specificstructure, such as a porous structure, a thread structure, etc.

This description of the ultrasonic apparatus 200 is intended to beillustrative, and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Manyalternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and othercharacteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may becombined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternativeexemplary embodiments. For example, the ultrasonic generator 201 and thetransducer 202 may be integrated into one device/module. In someembodiments, the amplitude modulation device 205 and the transducer 202may be integrated into one device/module. In some embodiments, theamplitude modulation device 205 may be removed. In some embodiments, theultrasonic apparatus 200 may include one or more auxiliary equipmentsand/or modules. For example, the ultrasonic apparatus 200 may include avacuum device to keep a sample treated under a vacuum environment, or anenvironment with decreased oxygen level. As another example, theultrasonic apparatus 200 may include an auxiliary device to heat asample during the treatment with an ultrasonic vibration. As anotherexample, the ultrasonic apparatus 200 may also include a hydraulicdevice or an air cylinder to apply a pressure on, for example, theindenter 203 during the treatment. However, those variations andmodifications do not depart the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view for illustrating a portion of an exemplaryultrasonic processing system 300 according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. As shown, powders of a material 308 may beconstrained in a container. The powders of material may include at leastone of metal powders, polymer powders, alloy powders, ceramic powders,etc. In some embodiments, the powders may be amorphous, crystalline, ora combination thereof. The container may be formed by a substrate 304and one or more side walls 302. In some embodiments, the substrate 304may be detachable from the one or more side walls 302. In someembodiments, the one or more side walls 302 may move along one or moretracks on the substrate 304. For example, the substrate 304 may includeone or more grooves and the one or more side walls 302 may move alongthe grooves. In some embodiments, the capacity of the container may beadjusted by sliding the one or more side walls 302 toward to or outwardfrom the center of the container. In some embodiments, one or more sidestresses may be applied on the powders by sliding the one or more sidewalls 302 toward the center of the container. For example, a side stressmay be applied on the powders in the container in response to a movementof the side wall 302 in the z₂ direction. In some embodiments, the sidestress may be in a range from 1N to 1000N. In some embodiments, the sidestress may be greater than 1000N. In some embodiments, the side stressesmay be decreased by sliding the one or more side walls 302 outward fromthe center of the container. In some embodiments, the side walls 302 andthe substrate 304 may be integrated as a whole structure. The ultrasonicvibration, generated by an ultrasonic transducer (e.g., the transducer202 illustrated in FIG. 2) or modulated by an amplitude modulationdevice, may be transmitted to the indenter 306 to vibrate the powders ofthe material. The indenter 306 may vibrate in the z₁ direction. In someembodiments, the z₁ direction may be perpendicular to the upper surfaceof the substrate 304. In some embodiments, the indenter 306 may apply astress on the powders when the indenter 306 contacts with the powders.In some embodiments, the stress may be in a range from 1N to 1000N. Insome embodiments, the stress may be greater than 1000N. In someembodiments, the stress on the powders applied by the indenter 306 maybe increased by a hydraulic device or an air cylinder that provides anextra pressure on the indenter 306.

Thus, during the vibration of the powders under the stress from theindenter 306 and/or the side walls 302, heat may be generated among thepowders. Then, the powders may be transformed into another phase oranother form (e.g., a bulk form) when the temperature reach a certainthreshold. Because the temperature rise using the ultrasonic vibrationtreatment is limited, in some embodiments, a supplementary heatingmodule may be added to the substrate to additionally heat thetemperature during the treatment to overcome the limit. Further, avacuum module may be added to the sintering room to decrease the oxygenlevel during the treatment to improve the purity of the obtained bulkmaterials.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view for illustrating a portion of an exemplaryultrasonic processing system according to some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. As shown, the ultrasonic processing system 400 mayinclude an indenter 406 a and an indenter 406 b. A container may beformed by one or more side walls 402, the ultrasonic identifier 406 a,and the ultrasonic indenter 406 b. Powders of a material as described inconnection with FIG. 3 may be placed in the container for treatment. Insome embodiments, the indenter 406 a and the indenter 406 b may vibratein the same direction, for example, the z₁ direction. In someembodiments, the indenter 406 a and the indenter 406 b may vibrate indifferent directions. For example, the identifier 406 a may vibrate in adirection perpendicular to the vibrating direction of the identifier 406b. In some embodiments, the vibrating direction of the indenter 406 aand the indenter 406 b may be in vertical direction. In someembodiments, the vibrating direction of the indenter 406 a and theindenter 406 b may be in horizontal direction. In some embodiments, oneindenter (e.g., the indenter 406 b) may vibrate in vertical direction,and the other indenter (e.g., the indenter 406 a) may vibrate inhorizontal direction.

In some embodiments, the ultrasonic processing system 400 may includemore than two indenters vibrating in different directions. For example,the ultrasonic apparatus 400 may include three indenters. An angleformed between each two adjacent indenters may be same or different.

In some embodiments, the indenter 406 a and the indenter 406 b may applya same stress or different stresses on the powders when the indenter 406a and the indenter 406 b contact with the powders. Additionally oralternatively, a side stress may be applied on the powders of thematerial through at least one of the one or more side walls in responseto a movement of the at least one of the one or more side walls 402toward the center of the container. The movement may be manipulated byan operator manually and/or by a computer. In some embodiments, thestress on the powders applied by the indenter 406 a and/or 406 b may beincreased by a hydraulic device or an air cylinder.

This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit thescope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives, modifications, andvariations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features,structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplaryembodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtainadditional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments. For example, theindenter 406 a and the indenter 406 b may be in different shapes.However, those variations and modifications do not depart the scope ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates a process for sintering powders of at least onematerial according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

In 502, powders of at least one material may be provided in a container.The at least one material may include a metal material, a polymermaterial, an inorganic non-metallic material, a composite material, orthe like, or a combination thereof as described elsewhere in thedisclosure. In some embodiments, the powders of the at least onematerial may be amorphous, crystalline, or a combination thereof.

The powders of the at least one material may correspond to a pluralityof characteristic parameters including a density of powders, an averagelinear dimension of particles, a mass of powders, a characteristictemperature of the at least one material, etc. In some embodiments, theaverage linear dimension of particles may be in a range from 20 μm to100 μm. In some embodiments, the average linear dimension of particlesmay be in a range from 1 μm to 1 mm. In some embodiments, thecharacteristic temperature of the at least one material may include aglass transition temperature (T_(g)), a crystallization temperature(T_(x)), a melting temperature (T_(m)), a flowing temperature (T_(f)), adecomposition temperature (T_(d)), etc.

In 504, the powders may be subjected to an ultrasonic vibration at afirst amplitude. In some embodiments, the first amplitude may bedetermined by the transducer 202 and/or the amplitude modulation device205 as illustrated in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the amplitudemodulation device 205 may modulate the amplitude of the ultrasonicvibration generated by, for example, the ultrasonic transducer 202.

In some embodiments, the first amplitude may be determined based on oneor more characteristic parameters of the at least one material. Forexample, the higher a characteristic temperature (e.g., acrystallization temperature) is, the greater the first amplitude may beneeded. As another example, the greater an average linear dimension is,the greater the first amplitude may be needed. In some embodiments, thefirst amplitude may be in a range from 5 μm to 25 μm. In someembodiments, the first amplitude may be in a range from 40 μm to 80 μm.In some embodiments, the first amplitude may be in a range from 30 μm to100 μm. In some embodiments, the first amplitude may be greater than 100μm

In some embodiments, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration at thefirst amplitude may be found elsewhere in the disclosure.

In some embodiments, the powders may be imposed with a stress by, forexample, one or more loads. The loads may contribute a constant stressvalue in a range from 5N to 10N, from 3N to 15N, etc. In someembodiments, the stress may vary during the treatment of the powders. Insome embodiments, the stress may be imposed in a direction parallel withthe direction of the ultrasonic vibration. In some embodiments, thestress may be imposed in a direction perpendicular to the direction ofthe ultrasonic vibration. In some embodiments, the stress may be imposedby, for example, the indenter 203 when the ultrasonic vibration contactwith the powders. In some embodiments, the stress may be imposed to thepowders by, for example, the container 206 (e.g., the side walls 302and/or the substrate 304) before subjecting the powders to theultrasonic vibration. For example, an operator may manually move one ormore side walls toward the center of the container to impose a stress onthe powders in the container.

In some embodiments, the stress on the powders applied by the indenter203 may be increased by a hydraulic device or an air cylinder thatprovides a pressure on the indenter 203 (i.e., the indenter 306). Forexample, the pressure provided by a hydraulic device may be in a rangefrom 1 kgf/cm² to 10 kgf/cm². Specially, the powders may be treatedunder a vacuum environment.

In some embodiments, the powders may be treated under an anaerobicenvironment. The anaerobic environment may include one or more noblegases, such as nitrogen (N₂), helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar),krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe), or the like, or a combination thereof.

In 506, the powders may be heated in response to the ultrasonicvibration at a first temperature elevating rate corresponding to thefirst amplitude. The powders subjected to the ultrasonic vibration atthe first amplitude may vibrate at the first amplitude, or an amplitudesmaller than the first amplitude. The powders may be heated at the firsttemperature elevating rate based on the ultrasonic vibration. In someembodiments, the first temperature elevating rate may be determinedbased on the first amplitude and the frequency of the ultrasonicvibration. In some embodiments, the larger the first amplitude is, thehigher the first temperature elevating rate may be. In some embodiments,the greater the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration is, the higher thefirst temperature elevating rate may be.

In some embodiments, the first temperature elevating rate may bedetermined based on one or more characteristic parameters of the powdersof the at least one material such as mass of the powders, an averagelinear dimension of the powders, etc. For example, the first temperatureelevating rate may be smaller when the average linear dimension of thepowders is larger. In some embodiments, the first temperature elevatingrate may be determined based on the stress imposed on the powders. Forexample, the first temperature elevating rate may be higher when thestress is greater.

In some embodiments, the first temperature elevating rate in response tothe ultrasonic vibration may range from 800° C./s to 3000° C./s. As usedherein, the first temperature elevating rate may be an average elevatingrate from a room temperature to a characteristic temperature (e.g., aglass transition temperature, a crystallization temperature, etc.).

In 508, the powders may be treated in a first temperature rangecorresponding to the first temperature elevating rate. In someembodiments, the powders may be heated at the first temperatureelevating rate to a temperature in the first temperature range. Then,the treatment temperature of the powders may remain in the firsttemperature range. In some embodiment, the first characteristictemperature of the powders may include a glass transition temperature, acrystallization temperature, a melting temperature, a flowingtemperature, a decomposition temperature, etc.

In some embodiments, the first temperature range may be in a range fromthe first characteristic temperature to a second characteristictemperature. The second characteristic temperature of the powders mayinclude a glass transition temperature, a crystallization temperature, amelting temperature, a flowing temperature, a decomposition temperature,etc. For example, the first characteristic temperature may be the glasstransition temperature, and the second characteristic temperature may bethe crystallization temperature. As another temperature, the firstcharacteristic temperature may be the crystallization temperature, andthe second characteristic temperature may be the melting temperature. Asanother example, the first temperature range may be from thecrystallization temperature to the decomposition temperature.

In the first temperature range, the phase of the powders may be changedin response to the temperature change. For example, the powders of apolymer material may change the phase from a glass state into a highelastic state at or above the glass transition temperature of thepolymer material. As another example, the powders of an alloy materialin an amorphous state may transform to crystalline state at a treatmenttemperature in a range from the crystallization temperature of the alloymaterial to the melting temperature of the alloy material.

In some embodiment, the powders may be treated in the first temperaturerange for a time duration with the ultrasonic vibration. In someembodiments, the time duration may range from 0.5 s to 5 s. For example,the time duration with the ultrasonic vibration in the first temperaturerange may be 2 s.

In some embodiments, the first amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration maybe adjusted such that the treatment temperature of the powders mayremain in the first temperature range. For example, the first amplitudemay be decreased when the time duration of the powders treated in thefirst temperature range increases. As another example, the firstamplitude may increase when the time duration of the powders treated inthe first temperature range decreases.

In 510, a bulk material may be obtained. The bulk material may beamorphous, crystalline, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments,the bulk material may be amorphous when the first temperature range isfrom the glass transition temperature of the at least one material tothe crystallization temperature of the at least one material. In someembodiments, the bulk material may be crystalline when the firsttemperature range is from the crystallization temperature of the atleast one material to the melting temperature, or the decompositiontemperature of the at least one material.

In some embodiments, the bulk material may be composed of a plurality ofcrystal grains. In some embodiments, the crystal grains may be nanoscalegrains. For example, the linear dimension of the crystal grains may havean average value (also referred to as “average linear dimension”)ranging from 10 nm to 50 nm. Alternatively, the linear dimension of thecrystal grains may have an average value greater than 50 nm. In someembodiment, the average linear dimension of crystal grains in a bulkmaterial may be determined based on the first amplitude of theultrasonic vibration. An exemplary relationship between the firstamplitude of the ultrasonic vibration and the average linear dimensionof crystal grains in the bulk material is shown in Table 1. The powdersof TiNbCuNiAl alloy were treated by ultrasonic vibrations with differentamplitudes for 2 s at a pressure of 4 kgf/cm² that is provided by ahydraulic device or an air cylinder. The frequency of the ultrasonicvibrations was 20 kHz.

TABLE 1 Average linear dimension Sample Amplitude (μm) of crystal grains(nm) 1 33.6 29 2 38.4 34 3 43.2 35

It should be noted that the description of the imaging system isprovided for the purposes of illustration, and not intended to limit thescope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills inthe art, various variations and modifications may be conduct under theteaching of the present disclosure. However, those variations andmodifications may not depart from the protecting of the presentdisclosure. In some embodiments, the powders of the material may bepreprocessed before being provided in the container. In someembodiments, the bulk material obtained in 510 may be treated by theultrasonic vibration at a second amplitude for modifying the surfacelayer in order to, for example, add a coating at the surface layer ofthe bulk material.

FIG. 6 illustrates a process for sintering powders of at least onematerial according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Insome embodiments, the process 600 may be performed by the operatorconsole 108, and/or the controller 106. In some embodiments, the process600 may be used to determine one or more processing parameters. Forexample, one or more expected parameters related to a bulk material,such as an average linear dimension of crystal grains in the bulkmaterial, may be determined by the operator console 108 (e.g., akeyboard). Then, the controller 106 may determine one or more processingparameters for fabricating the bulk material with the one or moreexpected parameters and control the ultrasonic apparatus 102 tofabricate the bulk material to meet the expected parameters based on thedetermined processing parameters.

In 602, an average linear dimension of crystal grains in a bulk materialmay be determined. In some embodiments, the material may include alloymaterial, polymer material, pure metal material, inorganic non-metalmaterial, etc., as described elsewhere in the disclosure.

In some embodiments, the bulk material may be composed of a plurality ofthe crystal grains. In some embodiments, the crystal grains may benanoscale grains. For example, the linear dimension of the crystalgrains may have an average value ranging from 10 nm to 50 nm.Alternatively, the linear dimension of the crystal grains may have anaverage value greater than 50 nm. In some embodiments, the averagelinear dimension of the crystal grains may relate to one or moreprocessing parameters, including a temperature parameter, a timeparameter, a stress parameter, an ultrasonic parameter, a power supplyparameter as described elsewhere in the disclosure.

In some embodiments, a model describing the relationship of the averagelinear dimension of the crystal grains and one or more processingrelating parameters may be generated. In some embodiments, the model maybe established based on a variable-controlling method. In someembodiments, the model may be established based on a plurality ofexperiments for powder sintering, a plurality of computer simulationexperiments for powder sintering, or a combination thereof. For example,a model describing a relationship of one or more ultrasonic parametersand the average linear dimension of crystal grains in a bulk materialmay be established. As another example, a model describing arelationship of the treatment time and the average linear dimension ofcrystal grains in a bulk material may be established. In someembodiments, the model may be stored in a storage device (e.g., thestorage device 110).

In 604, one or more temperature parameters may be determined based onthe average linear dimension of the crystal grains as determined in step602. The temperature parameters may include a characteristic temperatureas described elsewhere in the disclosure, a treatment temperature, atemperature elevating rate, a temperature cooling rate, etc. In someembodiments, the temperature elevating rate may be determined based onthe ultrasonic parameters. In a fixed time duration, the higher thecharacteristic temperature, the higher the temperature elevating ratemay be.

In some embodiments, the dimensions of crystal grains in the bulkmaterial may be determined based on the temperature elevating rate. Thehigher the temperature elevating rate is, the smaller the dimensions ofcrystal grains in the bulk material may be.

In 606, the frequency of an ultrasonic vibration may be determined basedon the temperature parameters. In some embodiments, the frequency of anultrasonic vibration may be determined based on a relationship betweenthe frequency of the ultrasonic vibration and the temperature parameters(e.g., the temperature elevating rate, one or more characteristictemperatures, etc.). For example, the greater the frequency of theultrasonic vibration is, the higher the temperature elevating rate maybe. In some embodiments, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration maybe determined based on one or more characteristic temperatures. Forexample, the crystal grains in the bulk material may be obtained whenthe treatment temperature is in a range from the crystallizationtemperature of the material to the melting temperature of the material.Then, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration may be determined suchthat the powder material may be heated to a temperature higher than orequal to the crystallization temperature.

In 608, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be determinedbased on the temperature parameters. In some embodiments, the amplitudeof an ultrasonic vibration may be determined based on a model (e.g., arelationship between the amplitude and the temperature parameters. Forexample, the greater the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration is, thehigher the temperature elevating rate may be. In some embodiments, theamplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be determined based on one ormore characteristic temperatures. For example, the crystal grains in thebulk material may be obtained when the treatment temperature is in arange from the crystallization temperature to the melting temperature.Then, the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may be determined suchthat the powders of the material may be heated to a temperature higherthan or equal with the crystallization temperature.

In some embodiments, an amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration may bedetermined to keep the treatment temperature in the range from thecrystallization temperature to the melting temperature.

In 610, a bulk material may be acquired by subjecting powders to theultrasonic vibration. The powders of the material may be subjected tothe ultrasonic vibration in the frequency determined in step 606, and/orthe amplitude determined in step 608.

In some embodiments, a time duration for treating powders of thematerial in a temperature range (e.g., the platform stage T₂ asdescribed in connection with FIG. 7) may be determined based on arelationship between the time duration and an average linear dimensionof crystals grains, and/or one or more temperature parameters. Forexample, the greater the average linear dimension of crystals grains is,the longer the time duration for treating powders of the material maybe. In some embodiments, the time duration may include a treatment timein a temperature range from a crystallization temperature to a meltingtemperature.

In some embodiments, a stress imposed on the powders of the material maybe determined based on a relationship of the stress and an averagelinear dimension of crystals grains. In some embodiments, the stress maybe related to an indenter and a pressure applied on the indenter. Thepressure applied on the indenter may be provided by, for example, ahydraulic device or an air cylinder.

It should be noted that the description of the imaging system isprovided for the purposes of illustration, and not intended to limit thescope of the present disclosure. For persons having ordinary skills inthe art, various variations and modifications may be conduct under theteaching of the present disclosure. However, those variations andmodifications may not depart from the protecting of the presentdisclosure. For example, different steps in process 600 may be performedsynchronously.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary temperature curve diagram during a process ofsintering powders according to some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. The temperature curve was obtained by heating powders ofTiNbCuNiAl alloy based on an ultrasonic vibration. The powders ofTiNbCuNiAl alloy were amorphous. The powders had an average lineardimension of 20 μm. The powders of TiNbCuNiAl alloy were treated under apressure of 4 kgf/cm². The time duration for subjecting the powders tothe ultrasonic vibration was 2 s, the frequency of the ultrasonicvibration was 20 kHz, and the amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration was0.384 μm. A bulk material composed of a plurality of crystal grains wasobtained. The linear dimension of the crystal grains is described inconnection with FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B.

The treatment temperature of the powders was detected based on athermocouple. As shown, the temperature curve may include three stages:a temperature elevating stage T₁, a platform stage T₂, and a coolingstage T₃. In the temperature elevating stage T₁, the temperature iselevated from room temperature of about 25° C. to about 450° C. in about0.5 s. The average temperature elevating rate was about 840° C./s. Themaximum temperature elevating rate was about 1700° C. The phase of atleast a portion of the powders may change from glass state to flow state(also referred to as glass transition), in the temperature elevatingstage T₁. In the platform stage T₂, the treatment temperature of thepowders was fluctuating in a range, for example, from about 450° C. toabout 560° C. In some embodiments, the crystallization temperatureand/or the melting temperature may be located in the temperature rangeof the platform stage T₂. The powders may crystallize in stage T₂. Inthe cooling stage T₃, the maximum temperature cooling rate was about5000° C./s.

In some embodiments, the bulk material may be made to be amorphous byadjusting one or more processing parameters, such as the amplitude ofthe ultrasonic vibration, as described in connection with FIG. 5. Forexample, an amorphous state of the bulk material may be obtained whenthe amplitude of the ultrasonic vibration is adjusted to make the glasstransition temperature of the material locate in the temperature rangeof the platform stage T₂. Then, in the platform stage T₂, the treatmenttemperature may be in a temperature range from the glass transitiontemperature to a crystallization temperature. Then, in the cooling stageT₃, the sample may be cooled quickly, and a bulk material may beobtained as an amorphous state.

FIG. 8A is a transmission electron microscope (TEM) photograph of a bulkmaterial according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Thebulk material was obtained by subjecting powders of TiNbCuNiAl alloy toan ultrasonic vibration as described in connection with FIG. 7. TheTiNbCuNiAl alloy bulk may be crystalline composed of a plurality ofcrystal grains. The crystal grains was in an average dimension rangefrom 10 nm to 50 nm.

FIG. 8B is a diagram showing a dimension distribution of crystal grainsin the bulk material as illustrated in FIG. 8A according to someembodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, the dimension of thecrystal grains in the TiNbCuNiAl alloy bulk was in a range from 10 nm to40 nm. Specially, the dimension of the crystal grains was mainlydistributed in a range from 20 nm to 35 nm. Approximately 30% of thecrystal grains have a dimension ranging from 23 nm to 26 nm. TheTiNbCuNiAl alloy bulk was further tested using an indentation technique.The hardness of the TiNbCuNiAl alloy bulk is 11 GPa, and the strength ofthe TiNbCuNiAl alloy bulk is 3.6 GPa. The intensity of the TiNbCuNiAlalloy bulk with nanocrystal grains may increase 200% relative to theamorphous TiNbCuNiAl alloy.

This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit thescope of the present disclosure. Many alternatives, modifications, andvariations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features,structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplaryembodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtainadditional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments. However, thosevariations and modifications do not depart the scope of the presentdisclosure.

It should be noted that the above description of the embodiments areprovided for the purposes of comprehending the present disclosure, andnot intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For personshaving ordinary skills in the art, various variations and modificationsmay be conducted in the light of the present disclosure. However, thosevariations and the modifications do not depart from the scope of thepresent disclosure.

Having thus described the basic concepts, it may be rather apparent tothose skilled in the art after reading this detailed disclosure that theforegoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way ofexample only and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, andmodifications may occur and are intended to those skilled in the art,though not expressly stated herein. These alterations, improvements, andmodifications are intended to be suggested by this disclosure, and arewithin the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of thisdisclosure.

Moreover, certain terminology has been used to describe embodiments ofthe present disclosure. For example, the terms “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” and/or “some embodiments” mean that a particular feature,structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.Therefore, it is emphasized and should be appreciated that two or morereferences to “an embodiment” or “one embodiment” or “an alternativeembodiment” in various portions of this specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures or characteristics may be combined assuitable in one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

Further, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects ofthe present disclosure may be illustrated and described herein in any ofa number of patentable classes or context including any new and usefulprocess, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new anduseful improvement thereof. Accordingly, aspects of the presentdisclosure may be implemented entirely hardware, entirely software(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or combiningsoftware and hardware implementation that may all generally be referredto herein as a “block,” “module,” “engine,” “unit,” “component,” or“system.” Furthermore, aspects of the present disclosure may take theform of a computer program product embodied in one or more computerreadable media having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including electro-magnetic, optical, or thelike, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer readable signalmedium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computerreadable storage medium and that may communicate, propagate, ortransport a program for use by or in connection with an instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device. Program code embodied on acomputer readable signal medium may be transmitted using any appropriatemedium, including wireless, wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, or thelike, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent disclosure may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object-oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Scala, Smalltalk, Eiffel, JADE, Emerald, C++, C#, VB. NET,Python or the like, conventional procedural programming languages, suchas the “C” programming language, Visual Basic, Fortran 2003, Perl, COBOL2002, PHP, ABAP, dynamic programming languages such as Python, Ruby andGroovy, or other programming languages. The program code may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider) or in a cloud computing environment or offered as aservice such as a Software as a Service (SaaS).

Furthermore, the recited order of processing elements or sequences, orthe use of numbers, letters, or other designations therefore, is notintended to limit the claimed processes and methods to any order exceptas may be specified in the claims. Although the above disclosurediscusses through various examples what is currently considered to be avariety of useful embodiments of the disclosure, it is to be understoodthat such detail is solely for that purpose, and that the appendedclaims are not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on thecontrary, are intended to cover modifications and equivalentarrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the disclosedembodiments. For example, although the implementation of variouscomponents described above may be embodied in a hardware device, it mayalso be implemented as a software only solution—e.g., an installation onan existing server or mobile device.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the foregoing description ofembodiments of the present disclosure, various features are sometimesgrouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereoffor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure aiding in theunderstanding of one or more of the various inventive embodiments. Thismethod of disclosure, however, is not to be interpreted as reflecting anintention that the claimed subject matter requires more features thanare expressly recited in each claim. Rather, inventive embodiments liein less than all features of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment.

In some embodiments, the numbers expressing quantities of ingredients,properties, and so forth, used to describe and claim certain embodimentsof the application are to be understood as being modified in someinstances by the term “about,” “approximate,” or “substantially.” Forexample, “about,” “approximate,” or “substantially” may indicate ±20%variation of the value it describes, unless otherwise stated.Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters set forth inthe written description and attached claims are approximations that mayvary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by aparticular embodiment. In some embodiments, the numerical parametersshould be construed in light of the number of reported significantdigits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstandingthat the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scopeof some embodiments of the application are approximations, the numericalvalues set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely aspracticable.

Each of the patents, patent applications, publications of patentapplications, and other material, such as articles, books,specifications, publications, documents, things, and/or the like,referenced herein is hereby incorporated herein by this reference in itsentirety for all purposes, excepting any prosecution file historyassociated with same, any of same that is inconsistent with or inconflict with the present document, or any of same that may have alimiting affect as to the broadest scope of the claims now or laterassociated with the present document. By way of example, should there beany inconsistency or conflict between the description, definition,and/or the use of a term associated with any of the incorporatedmaterial and that associated with the present document, the description,definition, and/or the use of the term in the present document shallprevail.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of the application disclosedherein are illustrative of the principles of the embodiments of theapplication. Other modifications that may be employed may be within thescope of the application. Thus, by way of example, but not oflimitation, alternative configurations of the embodiments of theapplication may be utilized in accordance with the teachings herein.Accordingly, embodiments of the present application are not limited tothat precisely as shown and described.

1. A method for fabrication of bulk nanocrystal alloy comprising:subjecting powders of at least one material to an ultrasonic vibrationat a first amplitude; heating the powders in response to the ultrasonicvibration at a first temperature elevating rate corresponding to thefirst amplitude; treating the powders in a temperature rangecorresponding to the first temperature elevating rate, wherein thetemperature range includes a first temperature configured to be above acharacteristic temperature of the at least one material; and obtaining abulk material composed of a plurality of crystal grains, the pluralityof crystal grains having an average linear dimension equal to or largerthan 10 nm.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the powders are amorphous.3. The method of claim 2, wherein the powders of at least one materialinclude at least one of polymer powders, metal powders, alloy powders,or ceramic powders.
 4. The method of claim 2, wherein the characteristictemperature is a crystallization temperature of the at least onematerial.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the average linear dimensionof the crystal grains is determined based on the first temperatureelevating rate and the first temperature.
 6. The method of claim 5,wherein the average linear dimension of the plurality of crystal grainsis further determined based on a time duration of the treatment of thepowders in the temperature range, a stress imposed on the powders, or alinear dimension of a powder particle corresponding to each of theplurality of crystal grains.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein theultrasonic vibration is in a frequency range from 10 kHz to 100 kHz. 8.The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the powders in amold, wherein a shape of the bulk material is determined by a shape ofthe mold.
 9. A method for fabrication of bulk nanocrystal alloycomprising: subjecting powders of at least on material to an ultrasonicvibration at a first amplitude; heating the powders in response to theultrasonic vibration at a first temperature elevating rate correspondingto the first amplitude; treating the powders in a temperature rangecorresponding to the first temperature elevating rate, wherein thetemperature range includes a first temperature configured to be betweena first characteristic temperature of the at least one material and asecond characteristic temperature of the at least one material; andobtaining a bulk material at a first temperature cooling rate, whereinthe bulk material is in an amorphous state.
 10. The method of the claim9, wherein the powders are amorphous.
 11. The method of the claim 10,wherein the powders of at least one material include at least one ofpolymer powders, metal powders, alloy powders, or ceramic powders. 12.The method of the claim 9, wherein the first characteristic temperatureis a glass transition temperature of the at least one material.
 13. Themethod of the claim 12, wherein the second characteristic temperature isa crystallization temperature of the at least one material.
 14. Themethod of the claim 12, wherein the second characteristic temperature isa melting temperature of the at least one material.
 15. (canceled) 16.(canceled)
 17. The method of the claim 9, wherein the amorphous state ofthe bulk material is further determined based on a time duration of thetreatment of the powders in the temperature range, a stress imposed onthe powders, or a linear dimension of a powder particle.
 18. A systemfor fabrication of bulk nanocrystal alloy comprising: an ultrasonicgenerator configured to generate an electric signal; a transducerconfigured to generate an ultrasonic vibration at a first amplitudebased on the electric signal; and an indenter configured to heat powdersof at least one material in response to the ultrasonic vibration at afirst temperature elevating rate corresponding to the first amplitude,and treat the powders in a temperature range corresponding to the firsttemperature elevating rate, wherein the temperature range includes afirst temperature configured to be above a first characteristictemperature of the at least one material.
 19. The system of claim 18,wherein the at least one characteristic temperature of the at least onematerial includes a glass transition temperature, a crystallizationtemperature, or a melting temperature.
 20. The system of claim 18,wherein the powders are amorphous or crystalline.
 21. The system ofclaim 18, wherein the powders of at least one material include at leastone of polymer powders, metal powders, alloy powders, or ceramicpowders.
 22. (canceled)
 23. The system of the claim 18, furthercomprising a mold configured to place the powders of the at least onematerial.